Ok, thanks a lot for your input, and I can see where you are coming from. I, however, am not the vocalist. I am the lead guitarist and occasional backup vocalist. The interesting thing about our band is that everyone contributes something to each instrument. I have written 90% of the lyrics to some songs just as our drummer has come up with most of the guitar riffs on a couple jams. We figure that if each person has input on every instrument, then the songs will reflect every player's artistic vision.

I assure you that the words are incredibly sincere, almost embarrassingly so. I, too, am bothered by the folks out there going for face value on their lyrics and over all message, not paying attention to any deeper meaning that their music could hold.

I hear a lot of people complain about the screaming, and from a traditionalist's perspective I can see where you're coming from. My mom's parents hated it when the Beatle's screamed just as their parents hated Louie Armstrong's gravelly warble. The fact is that many people can't relate to new sound. Think of how many folks say rap is just noise and tastelessness, the exact same thing the white middle class said about jazz eighty years ago.

I was raised on blues, folk, rock, and classical music. My family loves everything from Etta James to Tom Waits to Wagner. I grew up with an open ear, and still couldn't take screaming until about two years ago. To see the musicality in a work, you have to ignore the stigma. Appreciate how something like screaming enhances the message just as much as a haunting string section, that is, if there is a message.

We were not writing new punk when we composed this song (along with the other songs we have written). We were collectively writing out a piece of our lives. I've never sat down and said, "I'm going to write a heavy song." Some songs are based around melodious swirling keyboards, another is just a sweet, soft acoustic ballad. Each song represents our emotions and our methods for letting go of everything inside of us. It's not about getting past the screaming, it's about staring it straight in the face and saying, "That is emotion, valid and unfiltered, exposed for me." There could be some soft melodic singing, but would that not depreciate the emotional value that you were stressing?

I can only stand so many three-chord songs, but by so many I really do mean SO MANY. With modern chromatic music, there are only 12 notes to choose from to convey your message. Three-chord songs can be just as engrossing as fifteen chord songs (Wild Thing a la Hendrix), but only if the underlying theme is powerful enough to take the listener past the lack of technical flashiness.

I hope you can take something away from this, and in turn, possibly take a little more away from the song. The meaning and creativity are there, just not in a traditional package. Please don't think that I do not appreciate your two cents, because I honestly do.